Freshman Gretchen Weber does not really know how it happened. The new Facebook phenomenon “Saint Louis University Paranormal Investigators (SLUPI)” started out as more of a joke than anything.
SLUPI, the brainchild of freshmen paranormal explorers Weber, Amy Lutz and Victoria Romba, began almost on a whim, late at night, barely more than a week ago.
As of press time, the group contained 100 members.
The creators were surprised at the popularity of investigating the paranormal on campus, but they also expressed excitement and thanks for the support of their ideas and interests.
Paranormal occurrences are nothing new for Weber or Lutz.
Weber said that her family house is haunted, and Lutz comes from Atchison, Kan., which is said to be the most haunted town in the state; Atchison was even featured in several television programs about the subject.
However, the inspiration for SLUPI did not stem from experiences back at home.
In October, famed ghost hunter Ross Allison came to SLU as part of OkSOBER fest.  With Allison, Weber and Lutz journeyed to Manresa Center, where the girls described witnessing legitimate paranormal experiences.
“Allison is our surrogate father,” Weber said.
Soon after the experience, Weber and Lutz, along with Romba, who is said to be the group’s first official member, started to watch movies and television specials about ghost hunting.
However, they were unsatisfied. Still looking for more experiences, the girls sat down and discussed their options.
“We can do this, too,” Weber said.  “Ghost hunting is for everyone.”
Aside from the activity in the group on Facebook, SLUPI has also been approached to help plan Allison’s return to SLU next year.
The girls said they feel somewhat overwhelmed by the attention that their group has been getting.
They have considered the idea of becoming an official group on campus next year, and would embark on paranormal investigations around SLU and in St. Louis.
For now, they are content watching the group grow, and are trying to gain access to the famously haunted Samuel Cupples House, Manresa Center or Fusz, which is rumored to house a morgue on its lowest level.
Already on Facebook, there are several accounts of experiences with the paranormal, and the creators and members of the group are always looking for more.
Everyone is invited to join the group, and perhaps sometime in the future, SLUPI will lead an investigation into the paranormal.  According to its founders, “SLUPI is for everybody, because the paranormal [don’t] discriminate.”